29 dead dolphins found since oil spill

Harvey Ric, Beaumont Enterprise

By Harvey Rice

Published 10:26 am, Friday, April 4, 2014

A worker gathers oil that spilled onto the sands of the Texas City dike at the site of the wrecked barge that leaked fuel into the Houston Ship Channel, Monday, March 24, 2014, in Texas City. Thousands of gallons of tar-like oil spilled into the major U.S. shipping channel after a barge ran into a ship Saturday.
Photo: Karen Warren, Associated Press

A worker gathers oil that spilled onto the sands of the Texas City...

Workers gather the oil spilled onto the sands of the Texas City dike at the site of the wrecked barge that leaked fuel into the Houston Ship Channel, Monday, March 24, 2014, in Texas City.
Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle

Workers gather the oil spilled onto the sands of the Texas City...

Workers gather the oil spilled onto the sands of the Texas City dike at the site of the wrecked barge that leaked fuel into the Houston Ship Channel, Monday, March 24, 2014, in Texas City. Thousands of gallons of tar-like oil spilled into the major U.S. shipping channel after a barge ran into a ship Saturday.
Photo: Karen Warren, Associated Press

Workers gather the oil spilled onto the sands of the Texas City...

Crews scoop up heavy fuel oil that washed up on East Beach in Galveston, Texas on Monday March 24, 2014 as they begin cleaning up after a weekend oil spill in Galveston Bay. More than 160,000 gallons of heavy fuel oil spilled into the bay after a barge collided with a ship near the Texas City Dike.
Photo: Jennifer Reynolds, Associated Press

Crews scoop up heavy fuel oil that washed up on East Beach in...

Heavy fuel oil soils the protective suits worn by clean up workers during a clean up effort, Monday, March 24 at the Texas City Dike where a barge struck a cargo ship in Texas City, Texas.
Photo: Kirk Sides, Associated Press

Heavy fuel oil soils the protective suits worn by clean up workers...

Chad Smith, with Garner Environmental Services, moves an oil absorbent skirt back into the surf ,Monday March 24, 2014, on East Beach in Galveston, Texas. Crews were deployed Monday morning to begin cleaning up the heavy fuel oil spilled from a barge over the weekend.
Photo: Jennifer Reynolds, Associated Press

Chad Smith, with Garner Environmental Services, moves an oil...

Gerald Joubert bags oil soaked sand on Monday March 24, 2014, on the Texas City Dike as crews begin cleaning up after an oil spill over the weekend. More than 160,000 gallons of heavy fuel oil spilled into the bay after a barge collided with a ship Saturday near the dike.
Photo: Jennifer Reynolds, Associated Press

Gerald Joubert bags oil soaked sand on Monday March 24, 2014, on...

Renny Keal tosses a bag of oil soaked sand into a pickup on Monday March 24, 2014, as crews begin cleaning up oil from the Texas City Dike. More than 160,000 gallons of heavy fuel oil spilled into the bay after a barge collided with a ship Saturday near the dike.
Photo: Jennifer Reynolds, Associated Press

Renny Keal tosses a bag of oil soaked sand into a pickup on Monday...

Workers stand with oil covered booms that they gathered soaked up oil spilled at the site of the wrecked barge that leaked fuel into the Houston Ship Channel, Monday, March 24, 2014, in Texas City. Thousands of gallons of tar-like oil spilled into the major U.S. shipping channel after a barge ran into a ship Saturday.
Photo: Karen Warren, Associated Press

Workers stand with oil covered booms that they gathered soaked up...

A crew makes it's way to the shore from the site of the wrecked barge that leaked fuel into the Houston Ship Channel, Saturday, just off of the Texas City dike Monday, March 24, 2014, in Texas City.
Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle

A crew makes it's way to the shore from the site of the wrecked...

A crew makes it's way to the shore from the site of the wrecked barge that leaked fuel into the Houston Ship Channel, Saturday, just off of the Texas City dike Monday, March 24, 2014, in Texas City.
Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle

A crew makes it's way to the shore from the site of the wrecked...

In this March 24, 2014 photo, work crews drop booms into the bay in efforts to prevent more oil from reaching the shores in Galveston, Texas. The oil washed ashore after a barge carrying heavy oil collided with a ship Saturday near the Texas City. Officials said Monday night that changing currents, winds and weather were pushing the oil not only further into the Gulf, but also southwest along Galveston Island, resulting in expanded oil recovery efforts.
Photo: Mayra Beltran, Associated Press

In this March 24, 2014 photo, work crews drop booms into the bay in...

A crew makes its way to the shore from the site of the wrecked barge that leaked fuel into the Houston Ship Channel, Saturday, just off of the Texas City dike, Monday, March 24, 2014, in Texas City. Thousands of gallons of tar-like oil spilled into the major U.S. shipping channel after a barge ran into a ship Saturday.
Photo: Karen Warren, Associated Press

A crew makes its way to the shore from the site of the wrecked...

A crew makes its way to the shore from the site of the wrecked barge that leaked fuel into the Houston Ship Channel, Saturday, just off of the Texas City dike, Monday, March 24, 2014, in Texas City. Thousands of gallons of tar-like oil spilled into the major U.S. shipping channel after a barge ran into a ship Saturday.
Photo: Karen Warren, Associated Press

A crew makes its way to the shore from the site of the wrecked...

Work continues Monday March 24, 2014, to secure and decontaminate a disabled barge that collided with a ship Saturday afternoon near the Texas City Dike spilling more than 160,000 gallons of heavy fuel oil into Galveston Bay.
Photo: Jennifer Reynolds, Associated Press

Work continues Monday March 24, 2014, to secure and decontaminate a...

The wrecked barge that leaked oil into the Houston Ship Channel, Saturday, just off of the Texas City dike, sppears Monday, March 24, 2014, in Texas City. Thousands of gallons of tar-like oil spilled into the major U.S. shipping channel after a barge ran into a ship Saturday.
Photo: Karen Warren, Associated Press

The wrecked barge that leaked oil into the Houston Ship Channel,...

In this March 24, 2014 photo, Houston Audubon Society members Loren Gallo, left, Pete Deichmann, center, and Winnie Burkett watch for oiled birds at the Bolivar Flats Shorebird Sanctuary in Bolivar, Texas. The oil washed ashore after a barge carrying heavy oil collided with a ship Saturday near the Texas City. Officials said Monday night that changing currents, winds and weather were pushing the oil not only further into the Gulf, but also southwest along Galveston Island, resulting in expanded oil recovery efforts.
Photo: Melissa Phillip, Associated Press

In this March 24, 2014 photo, Houston Audubon Society members Loren...

In this March 24, 2014 photo, Houston Audubon Society members Mary Anne Weber, left, and Winnie Burkett watch for oiled birds at the Bolivar Flats Shorebird Sanctuary in Bolivar, Texas. The oil washed ashore after a barge carrying heavy oil collided with a ship Saturday near the Texas City. Officials said Monday night that changing currents, winds and weather were pushing the oil not only further into the Gulf, but also southwest along Galveston Island, resulting in expanded oil recovery efforts.
Photo: Melissa Phillip, Associated Press

In this March 24, 2014 photo, Houston Audubon Society members Mary...

In this March 24, 2014 photo, an oiled gull preens its feather at the Bolivar Flats Shorebird Sanctuary in Bolivar, Texas. Officials said Monday night that changing currents, winds and weather were pushing the oil not only further into the Gulf, but also southwest along Galveston Island, resulting in expanded oil recovery efforts. Traffic backed up on both sides of the Houston Ship Channel that was shut down for a third day Tuesday, after a barge spilled as much as 170,000 gallons of oil into environmentally sensitive waters along the Gulf of Mexico.
Photo: Melissa Phillip, Associated Press

In this March 24, 2014 photo, an oiled gull preens its feather at...

A black bird flies into the air off of a post at the site of the wrecked barge that leaked fuel into the Houston Ship Channel, Saturday, just off of the Texas City dike Monday, March 24, 2014, in Texas City.
Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle

A black bird flies into the air off of a post at the site of the...

In this March 24, 2014 photo, an oiled gull sits on a post at the Bolivar Flats Shorebird Sanctuary in Bolivar, Texas. Traffic backed up on both sides of the Houston Ship Channel that was shut down for a third day Tuesday, after a barge spilled as much as 170,000 gallons of oil into environmentally sensitive waters along the Gulf of Mexico.
Photo: Melissa Phillip, Associated Press

In this March 24, 2014 photo, an oiled gull sits on a post at the...

A seagull with oil smeared on its belly flies over Boddeker Road in Galveston, Texas on Sunday March 23, 2014, where heavy crude oil leaking from a disabled barge near the Texas City Dike is washing ashore on the East End of the island. The barge, carrying about 924,000 gallons of heavy crude oil, collided with a ship Saturday.
Photo: Jennifer Reynolds, Associated Press

A seagull with oil smeared on its belly flies over Boddeker Road in...

Coast Guard Captain Brian Penoyer, the Federal on-scene coordinator of the oil spill speaks during press conference at the Doyle Convention Center as he updated the media about the wrecked barge that leaked fuel into the Houston Ship Channel, Monday, March 24, 2014, in Texas City.
Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle

Cleanup vessels are surrounded by a sheen on the water in the Port of Galveston on Sunday, March 23, 2014, in Galveston, Texas. Dozens of ships are in evolved in clean-up efforts to remove oil that spilled into Galveston Bay after a ship and barge collided near the Texas City dike on Saturday afternoon.
Photo: Smiley N. Pool, Houston Chronicle

Cleanup vessels are surrounded by a sheen on the water in the Port...

Protective boom surrounds tall ship Elissa at the Port of Galveston on Sunday, March 23, 2014, in Galveston, Texas. Dozens of ships are in evolved in clean-up efforts to remove oil that spilled into Galveston Bay after a ship and barge collided near the Texas City dike on Saturday afternoon.
Photo: Smiley N. Pool, Houston Chronicle

Oil containment booms are spread out near the idle Galveston-Bolivar Ferry terminal on Sunday, March 23, 2014, in Galveston. Dozens of ships are in evolved in clean-up efforts to remove up to 168,000 gallons of oil that make have spilled into Galveston Bay after a ship and barge collided near the Texas City dike on Saturday afternoon.
Photo: Smiley N. Pool, Houston Chronicle

Oil containment booms are spread out near the idle...

An oil containment boom is shown washed to shore on the beach area along Boddeker Rd. on the Eastern end of Galveston near the ship channel Sunday, March 23, 2014 in Galveston.
Photo: Melissa Phillip, Associated Press

An oil containment boom is shown washed to shore on the beach area...

A dead oil covered bird is shown on the shore area along Boddeker Rd. on the Eastern end of Galveston near the ship channel Sunday, March 23, 2014, in Galveston.
Photo: Melissa Phillip, Associated Press

A dead oil covered bird is shown on the shore area along Boddeker...

Oil is shown washed ashore on the beach area along Boddeker Rd. on the Eastern end of Galveston near the ship channel Sunday, March 23, 2014, in Galveston.
Photo: Melissa Phillip, Associated Press

Oil is shown washed ashore on the beach area along Boddeker Rd. on...

Madison Dwyer, from left, Morgan Dwyer, Seth Thomason and John A. Lowe walk along East Beach in Galveston, Texas on Sunday March 23, 2014, where heavy fuel oil leaking from a disabled barge is washing ashore. The foursome were waiting to sail out of Galveston aboard Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas, which was delayed getting into port due to the spill.
Photo: Jennifer Reynolds, Associated Press

Madison Dwyer, from left, Morgan Dwyer, Seth Thomason and John A....

An oil containment boom is shown washed to shore on the beach area along Boddeker Rd. on the Eastern end of Galveston near the ship channel Sunday, March 23, 2014, in Galveston.
Photo: Melissa Phillip, Associated Press

An oil containment boom is shown washed to shore on the beach area...

Crews place protective boom along the seashore near Port Bolivar on Sunday, March 23, 2014, in Port Bolivar, Texas. Dozens of ships are in evolved in clean-up efforts to remove up to 168,000 gallons of oil that make have spilled into Galveston Bay after a ship and barge collided near the Texas City dike on Saturday afternoon.
Photo: Smiley N. Pool, Associated Press

Crews place protective boom along the seashore near Port Bolivar on...

People photograph oil washing ashore Sunday March 23, 2014, along Boddeker Road in Galveston, Texas. More than 160,000 gallons of heavy fuel oil is leaking from a disabled barge, that collided with a ship Saturday near the Texas City Dike.
Photo: Jennifer Reynolds, Associated Press

People photograph oil washing ashore Sunday March 23, 2014, along...

Heavy crude oil washes over booms and onto the beach along Boddeker Road in Galveston, Texas on Sunday March 23, 2014. More than 160,000 gallons of heavy fuel oil is leaking from a disabled barge, that collided with a ship Saturday near the Texas City Dike.
Photo: Jennifer Reynolds, Associated Press

Heavy crude oil washes over booms and onto the beach along Boddeker...

An oil containment boom is shown washed to shore on the beach area along Boddeker Rd. on the Eastern end of Galveston near the ship channel Sunday, March 23, 2014, in Galveston.
Photo: Melissa Phillip, Associated Press

An oil containment boom is shown washed to shore on the beach area...

Emergency response crews work along side a barge leaking heavy crude oil Sunday March 23, 2014, near the Texas City Dike. The barge, carrying 924,000 gallons of heavy crude oil, collided with a ship Saturday afternoon spilling more than 160,000 gallons of oil into the bay.
Photo: Jennifer Reynolds, Associated Press

Emergency response crews work along side a barge leaking heavy...

Workers try to move oil containment boom from the shore area along Boddeker Rd. on the Eastern end of Galveston near the ship channel Sunday, March 23, 2014, in Galveston.
Photo: Melissa Phillip, Associated Press

Workers try to move oil containment boom from the shore area along...

Workers try to move oil containment boom from the shore area along Boddeker Rd. on the Eastern end of Galveston near the ship channel Sunday, March 23, 2014, in Galveston.
Photo: Melissa Phillip, Associated Press

Workers try to move oil containment boom from the shore area along...

United States Coast Guardsmen inspect oil washing ashore along Boddeker Road in Galveston, Texas on Sunday March 23, 2014. More than 160,000 gallons of heavy fuel oil is leaking from a disabled barge, that collided with a ship Saturday near the Texas City Dike.
Photo: Jennifer Reynolds, Associated Press

United States Coast Guardsmen inspect oil washing ashore along...

A dead oil covered bird is shown on the shore area along Boddeker Rd. on the Eastern end of Galveston near the ship channel Sunday, March 23, 2014 in Galveston.
Photo: Melissa Phillip, Associated Press

A dead oil covered bird is shown on the shore area along Boddeker...

Vessels work with skimmers and oil containment booms in Galveston Harbor on Sunday, March 23, 2014, in Galveston. Dozens of ships are in evolved in clean-up efforts to remove up to 168,000 gallons of oil that make have spilled into Galveston Bay after a ship and barge collided near the Texas City dike on Saturday afternoon.
Photo: Smiley N. Pool, Associated Press

Vessels work with skimmers and oil containment booms in Galveston...

Workers try to move oil containment boom from the shore area along Boddeker Rd. on the Eastern end of Galveston near the ship channel Sunday, March 23, 2014, in Galveston.
Photo: Melissa Phillip, Associated Press

Workers try to move oil containment boom from the shore area along...

Emergency crews work along a barge that spilled oil after it was struck by a ship near the Texas City Dike on Sunday, March 23, 2014, in Texas City. Dozens of ships are in evolved in clean-up efforts to remove up to 168,000 gallons of oil that make have spilled into Galveston Bay after a ship and barge collided near the Texas City dike on Saturday afternoon.
Photo: Smiley N. Pool, Associated Press

Emergency crews work along a barge that spilled oil after it was...

A sheen is seen on the water near East Beach and the Galveston Jetties on Sunday, March 23, 2014, in Galveston, Texas. Dozens of ships are in evolved in clean-up efforts to remove oil that spilled into Galveston Bay after a ship and barge collided near the Texas City dike on Saturday afternoon.
Photo: Smiley N. Pool, Associated Press

A sheen is seen on the water near East Beach and the Galveston...

The body of a duck covered in heavy crude oil lays on the beach along Boddeker Road in Galveston, Texas on Sunday March 23, 2014. The oil is leaking from a disabled barge, that collided with a ship Saturday near the Texas City Dike.
Photo: Jennifer Reynolds, Associated Press

The body of a duck covered in heavy crude oil lays on the beach...

A seagull lands in heavy crude oil washing up on East Beach in Galveston, Texas on Sunday March 23, 2014. More than 160,000 gallons of the oil have leaked into the bay after a barge, carrying about 924,000 gallons of heavy crude oil, collided with a ship Saturday near the Texas City Dike.
Photo: Jennifer Reynolds, Associated Press

A seagull lands in heavy crude oil washing up on East Beach in...

Clean up operations are underway near Houston afterKirby Barge 27706 and the bulk carrier Summer Wind, loaded with a million gallons of tar-like "bunker" oil, collided in a busy shipping channel on March 22. Some 168,000 gallons of oil had spilled in the accident. Cleanup agencies deployed more than 69,000 feet of containment boom near the crash site.
Photo: PO3 MANDA M. EMERY, AFP/Getty Images

Clean up operations are underway near Houston afterKirby Barge...

The bulk carrier Summer Wind undergoes cleanup near Houston after Kirby Barge 27706 and the Summer Wind, loaded with a million gallons of tar-like "bunker" oil, collided in a busy shipping channel on March 22. Some 168,000 gallons of oil had spilled in the accident. Cleanup agencies deployed more than 69,000 feet of containment boom near the crash site.
Photo: PO3 MANDA M. EMERY, AFP/Getty Images

The bulk carrier Summer Wind undergoes cleanup near Houston after...

Emergency personnel block the road to the Texas City Dike following a barge collision in the ship channel, causing an oil spill Saturday, March 22, 2014.
Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle

Emergency personnel block the road to the Texas City Dike following...

Emergency personnel block the road to the Texas City Dike following a barge collision in the ship channel, causing an oil spill Saturday, March 22, 2014, in Houston.
Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle

Emergency personnel block the road to the Texas City Dike following...

A sheen in seen on the waters of Galveston Bay near where crews work along a barge that spilled oil after it was struck by a ship near the Texas City Dike on Sunday, March 23, 2014, in Galveston. Dozens of ships are in evolved in clean-up efforts to remove oil that spilled after a ship and barge collided on Saturday afternoon.
Photo: Smiley N. Pool, Houston Chronicle

A sheen in seen on the waters of Galveston Bay near where crews...

A Coast Guard helicopter flies over as emergency crews work along a barge that spilled oil after it was struck by a ship near the Texas City Dike Sunday, March 23, 2014 in Texas City.
Photo: Melissa Phillip, Houston Chronicle

A Coast Guard helicopter flies over as emergency crews work along a...

Emergency crews work along a barge that spilled oil after it was struck by a ship near the Texas City Dike Sunday, March 23, 2014 in Texas City.
Photo: Melissa Phillip, Houston Chronicle

Emergency crews work along a barge that spilled oil after it was...

A staging area is shown at the end of the Texas City Dike near the barge spill cleanup site Sunday, March 23, 2014 in Texas City.
Photo: Melissa Phillip, Houston Chronicle

U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Brian Penoyer (center) speaks about the oil spill during a news conference, Sunday, March 23, 2014, in Texas City. A barge that once carried some 900,000 gallons of heavy tar-like oil was cleared Sunday of its remaining contents, a day after the vessel collided with a ship in the busy Houston Ship Channel and leaked as much as a quarter of its cargo into the waterway.
Photo: Melissa Phillip, Associated Press

A response boat heads to the scene of a collision between a ship and barge in the ship channel near the Texas City Dike on Saturday, March 22, 2014. Two workers on one of the vessels were exposed to hydrogen sulfide and decontaminated by the first department at the end of the dike.
Photo: Neal Mora, Associated Press

GALVESTON - Scientists are trying to determine whether an oil spill two weeks ago contributed to a higher-than-normal number of dolphin deaths.

At least 29 dead dolphins have been found in the Galveston area since a ship and barge collided two weeks ago, spilling nearly 168,000 gallons of thick oil into Galveston Bay, The number brought the total for March to 47, above the average of 34 dolphin strandings for the month and triple last years' total of 15, said Heidi Whitehead, state operations coordinator for the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network.

A high number of dead dolphins are typically found during what is known as the stranding season from January through March, Whitehead said. But the oil spill has caused so much concern that more resources and effort than normal are being devoted to the investigation into the dolphin deaths, Whitehead said. Biologists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are assisting the Stranding Network, she said.

"Even though we cannot definitely say that oil has caused this increase in the number of strandings, we can say there is concern and will be concern and that is why we are increasing our level of investigation," Whitehead said.

Of those stranded, two have been confirmed to have oil on their bodies and two are being tested for possible oil, she said. It could take weeks or months to determine whether any dolphins ingested oil, Whitehead said.

Most of the dolphins were found in Galveston and Brazoria counties, but one was found in Harris County, she said. The most recent finds were Wednesday, when four were found. She said several also had been found on Matagorda Island, where oil drifted after being pushed out of Galveston Bay.

One possibility is that dolphins that otherwise would not have been found are being discovered because of the large number of personnel working along the coast to clean up oil that has washed ashore, Whitehead said. The Stranding Network typically relies on the public to report stranded dolphins, but some 1,500 people are involved in cleanup operations and they are finding dolphin bodies in places never frequented by the public, she said.

Even if the oil does not kill the dolphins immediately, it could cause health problems for the mammals in the long run.

"Long-term chronic effects can also happen," Whitehead said. "It's gong to be something we are going to be investigating for a long time following this event."